As Arab dictators in the Middle East are falling one by one like dominoes, it is just mind boggling to see the billions they had tucked away for all these decades. Hosni Mubarak resigned with $70 billion in US and European banks, not including his bank accounts in other countries or real estate. Former Tunisian…
200 demonstrators gather outside of the Los Angeles Federal Building, dozens of flags floating in the air, each piece of cloth boldly declaring support for movements in Iran and Libya. As protests go, the one held on February 20th was small compared to one’s held in previous weeks for Egypt and Tunisia, yet it’s sometimes…
Last Monday, the head of the International Union for Muslim Scholars, Sheikh Yusuf al-Qaradawi, issued a fatwa saying that it is permissible for anyone to kill the Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi because of his mass murders and heinous crimes against the people of Libya. As much as I agree that Gaddafi should be punished for…
February 11, 2011. Crowds in Tahrir Square erupt in celebration. “Egypt is free, Egypt is free,” they exclaim. In Tunisia, it takes one man to douse himself in gasoline to strike the powerful match of revolution. In Egypt, it takes the will power of millions and the brutal dictatorship of one man to ripple in…
Jordan High School, located in South Central LA, is one of two sites served by MAPS. It’s also one of the lowest performing schools in the Los Angeles Unified School District, leading to a dramatic intervention So, when it was announced that the public high school would change into three distinct charter school campuses next…
Relieved by the end of my first round of midterms, I open the web browser, instinctively navigating to the CNN homepage. There it is: a painful, daunting headline. Come on, this can’t be happening. Please tell me it isn’t true, but I guess disappointment is my forte. “Teenage suicide bomber kills at least 27 in…
Egypt’s recent success in conquering its oppressors has ignited a wave of realizations that determination mixed with unity and a dash of patience results in one sweet slice of change. Libya, Yemen, Algeria, Bahrain among others have used the mother of the world as an inspiration and an example, and have taken the first steps…
The most mentioned antagonist in the Holy Qur’an is Pharaoh. About him, Allah (swt) says in the Qur’an: …surely he was arrogant, one of the extravagant (44:31). However, the discussion of Pharaoh within the Qur’an is not a mere historical account; instead, it serves as an educational tool in which human beings can ascertain a…
Yes, it is time for Mubarak to go. And the people of Egypt not only want to make sure Mubarak makes his exit from Egypt, but for his entire regime to leave. As the Egyptian government has shut down all internet and social media services, limited cellular and SMS/text messaging communication, and tried to limit…
Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) is the second largest school district in the country. The schools range in academic performance but with the budget restraints that have hit the state of California, the disparities between the schools have only increased. Those schools that lacked resources have only slipped further and further away from what…